I am a Tombstone Tourist: someone who loves to wander cemeteries. I find it akin to visiting a museum: an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings, and amazing architecture, all in a tranquil outdoor setting. This blog is about cemetery culture, art, history, issues of death, and genealogy - subjects of current relevance. I usually find something that intrigues me and makes me want to dig deeper. Care to join me? Read on...

Friday, March 8, 2013

Gaming Memorials - When Death Becomes A Reality Online

Gamers

Game Cemetery

There
are an estimated 300-million gamers online in the world today.And anything can happen in an alternative world; even
death can become a reality.

Gamers Convention

Although players may never have met, they still share a social life
within the game, develop complicated and lasting relationships, and learn to care for their own. When a
fellow gamer dies, the most human desire to memorialize them occurs.

Over
900-million online games exist, and many of these game designers allow for the
development of grave stone monuments and memorials. In the massively
multiplayer online (MMO) game, World of Warcraft (WoW), the deaths of players
have been memorialized since the game’s release in 2004. The way the gaming world handles real life death allows us a
look into how society may respond to death, on the internet, in the future.

Michel Koiter

In
WoW, the Shrine of the Fallen Warrior is a memorial to nineteen-year-old Michel
Koiter.Koiter worked for Blizzard
Entertainment as an illustrator on World of Warcraft.He died of heart failure during the game’s development in
2004.

Shrine of the Fallen Warrior

Spirit Healer

The
Shrine of the Fallen Warrior memorial is a stone monument, inscribed with the
letters MK, located on top of a mountain.There, the body of an Orc warrior is laid to rest. A spirit healer
floats above the warrior’s body. The Orc warrior was the beta character that
Michel played during the first test phases of the game.

In
honor of Michel Koiter and his WoW persona, his twin brother, Rene Koiter,
wrote the following poem:

Shrine
of the Fallen Warrior in World of WarCraft

Where
once a hero set foot on his native soil a monument has risen

Where
now part of his essence resides a mystical boon will be given

Upon
the monument the runic initials MK have been engraved

To
honor all the journeys and battles the fallen one has braved

A
hero’s enduring spirit transcends many worlds beyond our own

Only
those with steadfast dedication find a bond with this unknown

Travel
the continents and scour the lands for the shrine standing tall

For
in the presence of the monolith the warrior will be with you all

~Rene
Koiter

Development Team

Jesse Morals Marker

Another
Blizzard employee, Jesse Morales also died while the game was being created. A headstone, inscribed with the epitaph, “In loving memory of Jesse
Morales”, was created and placed in a village cemetery in the game.

Ezra & Micah Chatterton

Then
there is the story of Ezra Chatterton. After a devastating house fire that left
the family with nothing, Ezra’s father, Micah took some of the insurance money
and purchased a computer and subscription to World of Warcraft for his
son.The game became something for
them to do together – a way to bond.

Blizzard Headquarters

In
2007, Ezra was diagnosed with a brain tumor.He told the Make-A-Wish Foundation that he wanted to visit
the headquarters of Blizzard Entertainment, designers of World of
Warcraft.The Blizzard team
brought the father and son to their Irvine offices and put Ezra on the
development team for the day.

Ahab Wheathoof

Kyle

During his seven-hour visit, Ezra designed a
weapon, a quest, and a non-player character named Ahab Wheathoof, and his dog,
Kyle. (Ezra’s dog was named Kyle.)Ezra then provided the voice for several phrases Ahab
Wheathoof says. Wheathoof is one of only a few characters in the game that has
a voice. Ezra was the first person outside of the company to be allowed to
create a character.

On
October 20, 2008, Ezra died. The gaming community reacted by organizing an
online gaming event to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Ezra’s
honor. Over 1,000 players responded.The server crashed and the event was cancelled, but Ezra's spirit will live on in the game.

Benghazi Raid

On
September 11, 2012, the U.S. Consulate was attacked in Benghazi, Libya.Gamer and Foreign Service Information
Management Officer, Sean Smith died in the raid.

Sean Smith

Smith
was well known for his diplomacy skills for the U.S. government, and in the
game EVE Online.An enthusiastic
gamer, Smith was known as “Vile Rat” in the EVE community.

The
Iceland-based game developer, CCP (Crowd Control Productions) created EVE
Online as a player-driven massively multiplayer online role-playing game
(MMORPG). (EVE Online has over 500,000 subscribers.)

Sean Smith & His Avatar Vile Rat

Smith,
or Vile Rat, was a member of the EVE Online Guild Goonswarm. He acted as a
senior guild diplomat. Many players say he actually shaped the way the politics
work in EVE Online. Smith was well known and well respected in the gaming
community.

Smith
was in contact with EVE players just before the raid, sending a message, which
said, ”Assuming we don’t die tonight. We saw one of our ‘police’ that guard
the compound taking pictures.” Smith was remembered in a tribute on the EVE online
community as “one of the best and most effective diplomats this game has
ever seen.”

An
actual memorial for Sean was discussed but gamers decided that the player-made
tributes and remembrances were more in keeping with the spirit of the
game.The EVE Online community
held a fiery tribute for Sean on September 15th.

In
the end, it doesn’t matter if the memorial is in a game or in a cemetery.What does
matter is being able to pay tribute to someone special. In this life and the gaming life, it's about finding a way to honor those we feel have left the game too soon.

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